My eyes land on the gift basket, “The flowers, yes, I’ll keep the basket.” Lifting it from the table, I set it in my lap, remove the card and place it in my pocket. The amount of items in the basket is impressive. There are two bottles of a local ale, a package of pistachios and pretzels, chocolate covered raisins, and chocolate chip cookies from a local bakery. I remove the wrap and take out a package of pistachios. I grin as I tear into the plastic and pop one into my mouth.
“What’re you grinning about over there?”
“Am I?” He gives me the don’t play dumb look and I shrug, “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a basket that contains so many of my favorites.”
“Yeah? Well you should chill the beer so you can have it after the show.”
“Good idea. Do me a favor and make sure the basket gets back to my hotel room with the rest of my things.”
“Will do. I’ll even make sure the beer gets in the fridge.”
“Thanks,” I set the basket on the counter and lean against it. “How long are we in town?”
“We have the show tonight and tomorrow, so after check-out on Tuesday. Why?”
“I was just wondering if we could stay in town a little longer, that’s all.”
“Sure. We don’t have to be in Charlotte until Saturday, and it’s only a four hour drive. Why the sudden interest in staying in town?”
“I just thought it might be nice to see the city while I’m here.”
“Uh-huh.”
I laugh at his response, “What? Is it so unthinkable that I may want to slow down and see the sights in a city we’re visiting?”
He stands from his seat and walks over to the counter to stand beside me. He leans a hip against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. “You sure there’s nothing fueling this, change of pace?”
I chuckle at his concern, and clap him on the arm, “Nothing that I’m willing to share just yet. But when I am, you’ll be the first to know.”
He raises his hands in surrender, “Okay, I’ll leave it alone for now.”
“Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have performance to get ready for.”
Once back in my hotel room, I shed my jacket and lay it across the back of the sofa. The performance went well. As an encore, I played the Bach sonata I practiced this evening. Visions of the beautiful woman that surprised me earlier filling my mind as I played.
The basket Rose delivered catches my eye, and I pull out the bag of pretzels before removing one of the bottles of beer from the small refrigerator. I twist off the top and reach into my pocket to remove the card, Roses and More. The name makes me smile, “Clever,” I say aloud into the room. The woman is definitely creative, and hopefully she’ll be open to seeing me tomorrow.
Chapter 3
Rose
I pull into my spot behind the flower shop, turn off the engine, and grab the coffees I picked-up on my way in. Stepping into the workroom, I drop my purse on the counter, and walk through the curtain into the store.
Janet inhales deeply as I approach, “Mmm, nothing smells better than that first cup of coffee.”
I grin as I hand her the paper cup, “I will never understand how you make it until 9 a.m. without caffeine. I have a timer set on my coffee pot so my first cup is ready by the time I’m out of the shower.”
Janet eyes me suspiciously, before she takes a sip of her coffee. “You really have a cup that early?”
“Yep. The first cup wakes me up, the second makes sure I’m nice to people.”
Janet laughs and rolls her eyes, “Like you could be mean to anyone.”
“You might be the first to find out if we don’t open the door so we can let in customers,” I tease with a wink.
She scurries toward the door, “Oh no, I’m not going to be your first victim.”
I laugh and shake my head as she twists the lock on the door and opens it allowing our first customer of the day into the shop.
Classical music plays softly in the background as I create the arrangements scheduled for delivery today. Hearing Alek play last night reminded me how much I love listening to it. As I’m putting the finishing touches on the last arrangement, the bell sounds as the front door opens. Funny how I’ve been back here for a few hours and haven’t once heard that bell until now.
Turning to place the arrangement in the cooler, the curtain parts and Janet appears, “Rose?”
“Yeah,” I reply without looking in her direction. She doesn’t elaborate, and when I look at her, I notice the Cheshire Cat grin she’s wearing. “What?”
“There’s a gentleman asking for you.”
“Okay,” I draw out slowly unsure why this is such a big deal. “Why are you being so weird? It’s not the first time a man has asked specifically for me.”
She lowers her voice to a whisper, “No, but not one of them was as handsome as this one.” She begins to shoo me toward the curtain, “Now get out there and see what he wants before he leaves.”
I smack at her hands, “Okay, okay, stop pushing.” I brush off my apron and tuck an errant strand of hair behind my ear before parting the curtain and stepping out behind the counter. His back is to me, so I speak to get his attention, “How can I help you?”
He turns and my breath catches, “Mr. Berringer? What are you doing here?”
He smiles at my reaction, “Hello Rose. Please, call me Alek. I hope it’s okay that I stopped by.”
“Yes, of course. Did you need to place an order?”
He casually strolls toward the counter while shaking his head. “No. Honestly, you’ve been on my mind since you left my dressing room last night. I
